“You know, Metro State [University], back in 2014 did a study that for every hour after 1 a.m. violence increased by 16 percent,” Leon said during an interview with CPR’s Ryan Warner.

The study he’s referencing used crime statistics from LoDo and other Denver neighborhoods where bars are concentrated. That would make the statistic a strong argument against extending the hours a bar can serve alcohol.

WHAT WE FOUND

Unfortunately, for Leon and other opponents of the bill, it’s not true.

The first thing you need to know is that it wasn’t a study from the university. It was a group project done by students in Criminal Justice professor Denise Mowder’s 2013 and 2014 classes.

“They worked hard and I feel they did a good job, but I can't completely confirm their accuracy,” Mowder wrote in an email to 9NEWS.

Mowder supervised their project, but she didn’t run any of the statistics herself.

She asked that people using the report “please look at these results in the context of a student class project.”

The second – and perhaps more important – point is the statistic that violence increased every hour isn’t from the class project or from Denver.